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I UNITED STATES j PATENToFnicE.: 'f

ADDISON M. sawYER, or TEMPLETON, 'i'LfissaoHUsETTs.l i

, MAGHN'E Fon srniTTINe RATAN;

pecifcationof Letters Patent No. 10,614, dated March `f, 1854. y

' following is a full, clear, fand exact descrip;

tion of the construction and operation 'thereof, take-n in connectionwith :the accompanyin'g drawings, 'makin-g a partof this specilication,in which- Figure 1 isa side elevation; 2, an end elevation, part yinsection; Fig. 3, a'trans'vers-'e sectional elevation on the 'line XofFig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan and Figs. 5', '6 'and7 are details of some oftheparts Adrawn to alarger scale in yorder jto show 'more clearly their,

construction. y A

The letters of reference indicate like .parts in all the figures. I pThe subject matter of my 'invention 'is a new and useful machine for thepurpose off splitting -canes or raftans 'into separate parts or strands;which, "by, subsequent operationsv are to vbe dressed into finishedstrands of the proper form to be used in lseating -chairs,

and for 'other similar purposes.

tubular cutter of a peculiar form and joperation, the cutting iedge ofwhich is made annular, and the outer surface of which is provided with aseries of spurs 'arranged around it; in connection with a guide by meansof which the strip of ra'tan is presented centrally to the cutter; sothat when the stick is carried forward longitudinally by any appropriatemeans, its circumference is split off and divided into separate portionsbyv the action of the spurs while the central part of the stick passesthrough the interior of the cutter.

In the drawings A represents the frame of the machine upon which theseveral parts are arranged. l

B, B, &c., are feeding rollers, arranged in pairs as shown, by which theratans are carried forward through the machine. These feeding rollersare fixed upon the shaftsB which run in boxes attached to the frame asis shown. The upper boxes C are made movable to allow the feedingrollers to approach and recede from each other to accommodate thevarying size of the ratan The most essential characteristic of my,`invention consists in 'the `errnoloyment of ay and; 4at the "same timeto retain itin a central position inthe machine. The boxes C and, withthem`,-the feeding 'rollers B are drawn together -byl theheli'calsprings D which are v'coiled around the rods d and press upon 'the nutsb 'upon the `same forcing the rod downward. To the upper endf'of V'therod the links c are .attached whichare also respectively attached to themovable boxes G'ofieach'pair'off 'feeding rollers. The rod d slideskthrough 'the 'guide a and asitis forced down Iby the spring D thefeeding;

rollers willybe drawn together with anV equal movement "inra: perfectly'obvious manner.

The'lower-ends "of the shafts B run inboxes CV which Aare 'hung upon,pivots to permit the `upper. 'ends 'of .the shafts to vibrate.l NearLthe lowerends of the shafts B are a seriesofpitdh wheels E which vtakeinto the endless piijch chain F as i's shown, vwhich gives' tojallthefeeding rollers an equalk and correspondin'g motion. A ilhe 'pitchchain receives its mot-ion from 'the pitch wheel Gr throughv which fthepower isapplied to actuate the machine. Gr is 1a corresponding pitchwheel atthe other bight of the chain Vwhich isypfro vided with atightening.'apparatus asv showny to take up'the'slack of 'thechaim y yis' a .guide stock, bygwhchjthe :rata'n :is guided to 'the cutter Land,ist confined 'in the yoperation of splitting; it is placed'close AinfrfOnt ofthe, cutter and concentric with it.

yThe guide stockian'd cutter are shownfon ya larger scale in Figs;` 5,`6,1and`7.` Fig. 5 is la side. elevation, with the cover `plate removedto *show 'its "internal construction;Fi g..6 is a sectionthrough thecenter', and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the cutter.

The guide stock is made with four movable dies z., h, z, z., which arepressed against the stick by the leaf springs g arranged around theperiphery of the stock. The

faces of the dies on the side opposite to the cutter are beveled o-if topermit the entrance of the stick. These dies are made to work in pairsso that lthose upon opposite sides of n one end of a small bala-ncelever j, the ff other end of which engages with the opposite die in amanner clearlyshown in the drawing.

The cutter I is madek of a tubular form,

with an annular edge, as is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and its outer surfaceis made with a series of ribs, the Vforward ends of which are made sharpand actas spurs to divide the circumference of the ratan into a definitenumber of parts, according to the size of the finished strand to beafterward formed therefrom. It is fixed by one end into the standard K,which is liirmly fixed to `the frame A as shown; Vand is set central tothe guide H. The orifice in the cutter is made a little smaller at theedge than at the back end Where it is attached to the standard K, inorder to enable the central partor core of the stick to pass through itfreely. Y

L is a guide or Vfinder attached `to the standard K, to direct thestrands from the under side of the stick upward, so that they shall bedischarged clear of the feeding rollers. y i y Y.

M is a guide to direct the stick to the feedi ing rollers as it is putinto the machine.

In operating the machine," the ratan is entered through the guide M, andcaught by the feeding rollers, by the united action of which, the stickis carried forward and forced through the guide I-I, the dies z of whichrecede to permit its` passage; and on to the cutter I, the annular edgeof which splits off the circumference from the cen-v tral portion, andthe spurs divide the same into the requisite number of parts to formstrands of the size required. The centrali i portion of the stick Vis`discharged through..

the orifice of the cutter in a round `form and finished state, proper tobe used in the making of willow Work, `or for VVany other simiv larpurpose. In the operation of this machine it is an important requisiteto keep all parts of the stick from being bent so farv i as is possibleand for this purpose the edge of the cutter is made very thin and theang e of the bevel which forms the cutting edge is made to approach thecentral line as near as possible. 4The strands when split'off, are muchthicker than when finished and are unequal both in thickness and widthaccording to the varying size of the ratan from? which they are made;but the central portion is gaged to a uniform size by the cutter. Bythis means the `enamel of the ratan is preserved from being cracked orsplit by the operation of dividing the stick. After the stick has passedthe cutters, the central portion or pith is caught by the after feedingrollers which assist to draw it through, and the strands are by theaction of the guide L discharged upward, above thefeeding rollers,fromthe machine.

It is obvious that the several parts of the machine may be muchmodified, and still Y embody the essential features of my invenltion;'asfor instance, ,the spurs, instead of being formed upon the surface ofthe cutter might be made separate and set at the proper places aroundthe stick, to divide its circumference into the requisite number ofparts; and the guide H-also might be Vmade much different in formlandstill guide the stick centrally to thel cutter and hold it firm underthe Voperation of splitting. The means of carrying the stick throu h themachinemay also be changed as I o not consider any particularmodeessential to the operation of my invention.;

WhatlI claim as my :invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,this:

In a machine for splitting ratans or other similar'substances asdescribed, I claim the Vemployment of a tubular vspurred cutter or its`equivalent in combination with a guide `for holding` and guiding thestick thereto, substantially as is hereinbefore described.

j January `4th 1854. t

ADDISON M. SAWYER.

`Witnesses: WM. C. HIBBARQ H. A. PEELER.

sYA

